Happy June, Go Local Loyalists!

Ahhh, June….a month of celebrations…graduations, weddings, Father’s Day, Juneteenth and Pride Month! Oh, and the first day of summer.  Something for all of us to celebrate.  Whether we just celebrated a child’s, grandchild’s or friend’s/neighbor’s graduation, are participating in a Juneteenth activity this week, or getting ready for a barbeque to celebrate the Dads or Dad figures in our life, it’s a great time to be thankful for the wonderful place we live and for all those who make it so, especially our amazing local independent business community!

Welcome to our Newest Go Local Members!

And speaking of which….we’re so thankful to all of our beloved business members and want to officially welcome our May 2023 Go Local Members to the Movement.  You can find them now in our on-line directory and smartphone app.

Idenyo Studio – Logo and website included in Social Media Marketing plan

Ground Level Media – Connect with us for a 20% discount on a media campaign.

Sam’s Pop Shop – 25% off orders under $25

Upcoming Go Local B2B Member Listing in Mountain Xpress

For those of you who read last month’s newsletter, you’ll recognize this story as one I’ve already shared. But I’m so excited about this I have to include it again. The July 12th issue of Mountain Xpress, one of Go Local’s respected and beloved business partners, will focus on local businesses and the importance of local supply chain. It will also include a Go Local B2B Member Listing of about 125 members whose revenues or customers are primarily other businesses or who are focused on growing this segment of their revenue. Remember to pick up this issue that will be in kiosks around town on July 12th, read about why a local supply chain matters to Asheville, and support the Go Local business members who help make up this community.

Things We Want to Share

Juneteenth – The Juneteenth holiday is in recognition of the day in 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. The City of Asheville recognized Juneteenth (celebrated on June 19th) as a City Holiday in 2021. Go here to learn about the importance of this observance and everything going on around Asheville to recognize and celebrate this historic event.

Pride Month – As I mentioned above, June is Pride Month and I want to be sure and give a shout out to Blue Ridge Pride and all they do in our  community to support the LGBTQ+ community. Blue Ridge Pride recently named a new Executive Director, Amy Upham, who I’d like to officially welcome into her new role. Go Local supports the entire LGBTQ+ community, and specifically the LGBTQ+ local independent business owners and Go Local members. We have a search function in our on-line directory and app, which you can use to find and support our LGBTQ+ business members.

Buncombe County’s First Creative Equity Mural Honors Local Latin Pride
A few months back in this newsletter, we announced the Buncombe County mural contest. And more recently, the 3 winners of the contest. If you’re interested in the back story, go here. This past week, the first mural, lead by Leslie Reynalte-Llanco (Sketchonic Design), was started and is slated to be finished by the end of summer.  Here is what the mural will look like upon completion. According to Asheville.com, the work should be completed later this summer. The mural will feature 12 faces representing Latino community members, and is approximately 2,590 square feet in size. A message in the center of the mural will proclaim “Eres un Orgullo Latino,” translated in English as “You are Latin Pride.”

ArtsAVL issues Creative Economy Report for Buncombe County – The Asheville Arts Council, now known as ArtsAVL, recently released its 2023 report on the state of Buncombe County’s creative economy. To read the full report, go here. The big headline and exciting news is that, according to the ArtsAVL press release, “jobs and sales for creative industries in Buncombe County have finally surpassed 2019 totals – after 4 years of stifled growth.”  Go Local recognizes the important contribution all of our artists, craftspeople, and makers to the community and culture of Asheville and are excited to hear this news. Congratulations to our arts community!

Leadership Asheville Buzz Series – Every year, Leadership Asheville hosts a Breakfast Buzz series during the summer on a topic that is relevant to our community. This past week,  I attended the first of this year’s 3 part series. Entitled “Working Together for a Safe and Vibrant Downtown”, it dovetails nicely with the current headlines we’ve been reading about, including the 60-day Safety Initiative downtown as well as the current evaluation of a downtown (and possibly the RAD and West Asheville) BID (Business Improvement District).  If these are topics of interest to you, I encourage you to attend the Buzz Series in July and August. Additional information on the series and how to get your tickets can be found here.

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest a story or event to include in our newsletter or on social media, please email me at [email protected]

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